Aims and Methods
The research project was carried out at the Film Academy Vienna, mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, an institution for the artistic training of filmmakers and for reflecting on the work of filmmaking, a place of learning founded on the principle of comprehensive forms of knowledge – artistic knowledge, art scholarship, science. For the project, it was essential that this place of learning be considered above all in its diversity of cultures of knowledge and that there be a constant awareness of the differences between these cultures and of their commonalities.
A project team made up of media and film scholars and filmmakers set itself the aim of reflecting on theoretical approaches to the concept of intimacy in film in a dialogue that would bring in experience from artistic practice, the further aim being to exploit, at the various points of intersection concerned, the potentials resulting from this dialogue. This collective reflection was accordingly based, to a significant extent, on specific films, production conditions and conditions of reception, and on various discussions about the different ways in which films are seen and talked about.
The project focused on investigating, from a cross-disciplinary perspective, the production of intimate moments and, consequently, on exploring the conditions under which intimate moments can be translated into cinematic moving images. We were particularly interested in what filmmakers had learned from their experience of creating intimate moments using various staging methods and techniques as well as in the question of how meanings are attributed in this process.
At the center of our undertaking was an intersubjective exchange among scholars and artists, a dialogue, which, at the outset, also threw language differences into relief – various types of specialized jargon as well as different conceptions of art and practice. According to Elke Bippus, a methodological approach of this kind keeps the research process open in many directions; it encourages curiosity and stimulates research efforts – efforts to explore, to follow traces, to ascertain. This method initiates a 'thinking movement', to use Elke Bippus’s expression. (Bippus 2009, p. 17)
At the beginning of the project, we devoted ourselves to a thorough review of literature and films in order to familiarize ourselves collectively with the topic of intimacy. We drew up a mind map so as to have an overview of the various facets of the concept. Together, we decided to concentrate on the areas of filmic dramatization and representation in categories such as social class, gender and sexuality.
In a second phase, we devoted our attention to various film excerpts in order to analyze the staging of intimate scenes in existing films. We viewed and discussed a great number of different films. A few images taken from the films might serve to illustrate the broad spectrum of intimacy in film. In 35 rhums (Claire Denis, 2009) we were particularly interested in a scene in which the relationship structures between the protagonists can be seen in glances and touches. In Umberto D. (Vittorio de Sica, 1952) it was a person alone in the picture that captured our interest: intimacy occurs between protagonist and spectator.
In the research project, we wanted to concentrate on our own artistic work. First, there was a cross-disciplinary workshop, which triggered a dialogue between theory and practice. Following this, we set up a cinematographic research laboratory, the Film Lab, in order to create an open space in which filmmakers could experiment freely. Here, an idea put forth by Dziga Vertov served as an inspiration to us. In 1936, Vertov stated that one needed a creative filmmaking laboratory in order to create models for the new. (Vertov 1973, pp. 58-63) The film experiments carried out in the Film Lab were finally viewed and discussed by all the filmmakers and scholars participating in the project and thus became the subject of a collective process of reflection.
Research in the Film Lab
In the Film Lab, we focused on specific stagings of intimate moments, using various cinematic means and approaches. The filmmakers discovered a wide range of ways in which various research approaches could be linked to their own conceptions of the phenomenon of intimacy and applied to their own projects. For this purpose, a framework for action was created, which made room both for cinematic experimentation and for the possibility of constructive failure.
In the drawing up of their projects, the filmmakers taking part in the research were aided by two mentors: the fimmakers Tizza Covi and Nina Kusturica, who were also present to encourage them to reflect on the decisions they made. In addition to this, scholars involved in media research observed the work done in the Film Lab and kept a record of how things evolved and how the participants arrived at decisions. Commenting on the way the project was set up, Nina Kusturica remarked:
Generally, the approach seemed rather unorthodox to me, especially my being present as a mentor during the directing; because as a filmmaker, one is trained from the very beginning to make decisions alone or at most as a team.
On the following pages we would like to present a few chosen examples of work done by participants in the Film Lab. These examples will best illustrate the variety of approaches and experiences involved.